Mafdet (3.5e NPC)
NOTE: Mafdet is an NPC in the Years of Gold setting, and the entry reflects that. It should be easy enough to adapt to games and campaigns in other settings, but remember to check it over for Pansaer-exclusive content.
| Male anubal warden | |
| LN Medium outsider | |
| Init/Senses | +7/darkvision 60 ft., lifesense 60 ft.; Listen +18, Spot +18 |
| Languages | Khabarat |
| AC | 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16; +1 dodge from Dodge (+3 Dex, +6 natural) |
| hp | 65 (10 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +9/+10/+11 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Melee | asp staff (as quarterstaff) +12/+7 (1d6+2) |
| Base Atk/Grp | +10/+11 |
| Special Actions | spell-like abilities |
| Spell-Like Abilities | (CL 10th): At will—cure moderate wounds, death knell (DC 17), inflict moderate wounds (DC 17) 3/day—cause fear (DC 16) 1/day—death ward, mass cure moderate wounds, mass inflict moderate wounds (DC 21) |
| Abilities | Str 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 19 |
| SQ | darkvision 60 ft., lifesense 60 ft. |
| Feats | Combat Casting, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Spell Penetration |
| Skills | Appraise +16, Concentration +15, Diplomacy +17, Handle Animal +17, Heal +18, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (religion) +16, Listen +18, Profession (mortician) +18, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +16, Spot +18 |
| Possessions | asp staff |
| Lifesense (Su) | Mafdet notices and locates living creatures within 60 feet, just as if it possessed the blindsight ability. It also senses the strength of their life force automatically, as if it had cast deathwatch. |
History
Like all anubal wardens, the life of Mafdet reaches into the prehistory of the world. While the anubal themselves speak nothing of their conception, folklore knows to tell that it was Groke Who Is Cold who created the race as a way to preserve the dead and give them a proper send-off. Mafdet is among the elder of their number, old even among a race of prehistoric beings.
For thousands of years Mafdet worked its profession without error: it anointed and embalmed the dead who held high positions in life: beginning with tribal chieftain and ending up as the royal mortician of Dharuum. Its streak of unfailing service only ended with Al Mehmed, the grandfather of the current sultan of Dharuum. It embalmed the dead sultan and handled the burial rites, leading the sultan to his eternal rest. Or so it thought.
One of the reasons people are mummified in the east are the myriad desert gods and monsters that can awaken them as undead: elder creatures like efreet, who hide in perpetual sandstorms and beneath the dunes. A proper embalming and anointing is protection from undeath, but Mafdet somehow botched the Crimson Sultan's rites, who rose as a mummy. Feeling itself dishonored and sullied, Mafdet vowed to protect and serve Al Mehmed as compensation.
When Al Mehmed demanded his rights as the sultan of Dharuum, Mafdet began to wonder about the rest of the ancient sultans, especially of Blessed Ur, the first sultan, who carved the Jewel of the Red Wastes from the stone of Caragos Eavorn and built the wells, establishing a man-made paradise. Mafdet had lived in his day, and it was the one who buried the first sultan. Those, though Mafdet, were the glory days; now everything was worse. Women talking back to their husbands? Servants living within the city walls? Preposterous!
Knowing where the tomb of Al-Ur lay, Mafdet devised a plan. It convinced Al Mehmed to begin excavating the tomb of the first sultan - as a palace for the Crimson Sultan, Mafdet assured - to discover the grave. There, it could think up some ritual to rise Al-Ur from his eternal rest, for if he were to rule, the old days would surely come back. While the tomb is already found and the excavations are ongoing, the sacrophagus in which Mafdet laid the first sultan to rest is still unfound.
Appearance and personality
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|---|
| Mafdet's powers and overpowering personality give it a nigh-divine disposition. |
Mafdet has the ebony-black skin and jackal head of its race, but carries itself far more nobly and with a power that's unseen in its lessers. The anubal has magical power to rival even the greatest mages, and its touch brings life and death, as it chooses. It dresses itself in robes reminiscent of the ones worn by the Priest caste in Dharuum of old, and it wields an asp-headed staff.
Mafdet is small (5' 3'' and 130 lb.), like its kind always is, but the pride and regality with which it carries itself makes it appear greater in stature. Its speech is always slow and deliberate, spoken with a deep voice that makes a listener pay attention. Its thoughts and opinions are invariably old-fashioned, and its greatest wish is that the ways of old could be brought back to current times.
Followers and allies
See Al Mehmed.
Recent activity and plans
See Al Mehmed.
Combat
In a fight, Mafdet serves two duties: it's the healer of its combat group, but also doubles as a potent damage dealer, thanks to its various inflict spells. Mafdet stays behind Al Mehmed, using its abilities to protect itself while simultaneously healing the Crimson Sultan (remember that undead are healed with negative, not positive energy).
Mafdet begins a fight by making sure it's protected by death ward, then attempts to break up opposition with cause fear (if the opponent's level is low enough, which is unlikely) or by using its asp staff to spit venom on them. Whenever a living creature goes down (whether it's a friend or foe), Mafdet moves in to death knell the unfortunate, increasing its potency and caster level. At an opportune moment (usually after a few successful death knells), he casts mass inflict moderate wounds, basically resetting the fight for its side.
Despite being a loyal retainer to the Crimson Sultan, Mafdet has no intention of dying in battle, and is among the first to leave a fight that's going badly. Its effective support means such fights are fairly rare, as long as the enemy doesn't disable it early on. The undead in Al Mehmed's army are directed by Mafdet, and thus hold the line as it makes its escape, as well as supporting it in fights.
Asp Staff: This glorious +1 quarterstaff has an emerald-set asp head that seems to move ever so slightly whenever you aren't looking directly at it. Three times per day, the wielder of this staff can have the asp head spit a potent contact poison at a foe. This is treated as a ranged touch attack, using the wielders attack bonus. If the attack succeeds, the target is affected as if a poison spell had been cast upon him (save DC 15, no spell resistance).
Moderate necromancy; CL 8th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, poison; Price 9,600 gp; Weight 4 lb.
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